Case Study: Uncovering Hidden Food Access Inequities in Denver Neighborhoods
The Challenge Denver city planners and public health organizations needed to understand why food access interventions (like opening new grocery stores in underserved areas) weren’t consistently improving health outcomes. Traditional methods showed that low-income neighborhoods had more food stores nearby, yet residents still experienced worse health—a confusing paradox that made it difficult to design effective interventions or allocate resources appropriately.
My Approach I developed a novel health equity framework that shifted analysis from measuring “equal access” (same for everyone) to “equitable access” (meeting different needs). Using data from 926 households across five diverse Denver neighborhoods, I:
- Applied spatial analysis (GIS) to map food environments at the individual level
- Combined health data (BMI, dietary behaviors) with socioeconomic factors to identify systematic disadvantages
- Measured four dimensions of food access: distance, density, affordability, and availability
- Compared how different social groups experienced the same food environment
The Results The research revealed critical insights hidden by traditional methods:
- Disadvantaged groups (low-income Black and Hispanic women) lived closer to grocery stores but chose to shop at stores farther away that were significantly more expensive
- Despite appearing to have “better access,” disadvantaged groups faced systematic barriers including store quality, cultural appropriateness, safety concerns, and acceptance of food assistance programs
- Traditional place-based approaches that “control for” social differences were actually hiding the real inequities
The Impact Demonstrated that effective food access interventions must account for how different communities experience and use their food environment. Provided actionable framework for policymakers to understand why simply adding grocery stores doesn’t reduce health disparities
Published: Diehl, J. A., Heard, D., Lockhart, S., & Main, D. S. (2020). Access in the food environment: a health equity approach reveals unequal opportunity. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 40(1), 69-81.
Jessica A. Shea, PhD 